Chapter Bonanza (4/10)

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Over the past few months, Yan Xiaoyu’s family has undergone significant changes. 

Back when they lived with the Yan family, Yan Xiaoyue would occasionally eat porridge mixed with rice bran, but now, even if they don’t have meat at every meal, they still manage to have it at least once or twice a week.

She’s even able to save up a little pocket money each month; whenever she wants to buy some snacks, she doesn’t have to ask her family—she just buys them herself.

Yan Xiaoyu loved white rice, so every so often the family would go to the threshing floor to grind some rice using a traditional mill.

They couldn’t finish all the soybean pulp left over from making tofu, and naturally, there was also leftover rice bran from milling the rice.

In the eyes of Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua, both of these were proper foodstuffs that must not be wasted. So the two of them bought some chicks and ducklings from the village chief’s family to raise.

The Yan family’s old water jar could only hold half a jar of water. Since the household used a lot of water for cooking, and it was a hassle to keep running to the village well, Yan Xiaoyu bought a new water jar for the family.

A while back, to prepare food for sale, they had invited Liu Pingshan over. Together with Yan Xingmao, he gave the kitchen a thorough overhaul, converting the single-burner stove into a double-burner one. Now the family owned three iron pots—two large and one small.

Apart from that, their standard of living in terms of food, clothing, and daily necessities had also risen to a new level.

Life was comfortable, but expenses were high; now they had only about twelve taels of silver left.

Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua felt that renting a house was not a long-term solution, so they were determined to save up silver to build their own home. Buying a decent donkey would likely cost over ten taels, and if they bought the donkey, their plans to buy land and build a house would likely be postponed again.

Yan Xiaoyu thought he should discuss this with his family, so that evening he brought up the matter with them.

“If we buy a donkey, my sister and I won’t have to trouble Brother Yan to take us back and forth. We can leave a little later in the morning, and once we’ve sold all our food in the afternoon, we can come back earlier. But if we do that, I’m afraid we won’t be able to build our house this year. Mom, Dad, and Sister, what do you think?”

Yan Xiaoyue didn’t care about any of this; she had no interest in it at all.

Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua were a bit disappointed, but they also breathed a sigh of relief.

Yan Xingmao nearly let something slip.

“After all, you and Yan Erlang are still—” He was cut off by a sharp elbow from He Qiuhua and quickly caught himself. “Ahem, since neither of you has been betrothed to the Yan brothers yet, you must still be careful. Once we’ve bought the donkey cart, shall I take turns driving you to the market?”

“That won’t be necessary, Father. I’ve learned to drive the cart now, so my sister and I can take turns driving it.

“Young Master Ji has spoken to the constables at the market; no one there dares to pick a fight with us now.”

Yan Xingmao and his wife exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat delighted.

Ji Wenyan didn’t know them at all—why would he specifically ask someone to look out for Yan Xiaoyue and her brother? It must have been Yan Shaoxuan who asked him for help.

It seems our son really does have a chance to outshine the other gers and girls and win Yan Erlang’s heart!

Yan Xingmao thought for a moment: “Young Master Ji has done us such a great favor; we must properly thank him! When he returns to the county seat next time, Yu’er, why don’t you gather some of his favorite foods and send him a few extra portions?”

He Qiuhua hurriedly added: “And—and Yan Erlang too!”

Yan Xingmao said, “Well, Yan Erlang has been visiting his tutor’s house often to ask about his studies lately. We’d better prepare some extra food for him to take to his tutor as well.”

Yan Xiaoyu nodded: “Father, Mother, don’t worry. I’ve already bought all the ingredients. I’ll make some food that keeps well in a bit and bring it to them tomorrow.”

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The next morning, the two men who received the salt-and-pepper peanut crisps and pickled chili chicken feet reacted differently.

Ji Wenyan was overjoyed, praising him repeatedly: “I was wondering why you bought so many chicken feet yesterday. It turns out you were making food for us! This smells so good—just the aroma is enough to whet one’s appetite!”

Yan Shaoxuan was also delighted, though he seemed a bit shy; his lips turned up and his face flushed, as if he were tipsy.

Breakfast was plentiful as well. The radish and cucumber strips, pickled with the chicken feet from the previous day, were served alongside bean curd-crumb meat patties, pumpkin and corn cakes, plus piping hot red date soy milk and chicken broth tofu pudding. Ji Wenyan ate so much that he could barely lift his head and was almost reluctant to leave.

Finally, with a full belly, he climbed into the carriage, casting a sidelong, slightly resentful glance at Yan Shaoxuan.

“You don’t even have to show up at school every day, and you eat this well—what kind of godlike life is this?”

Yan Shaoxuan watched Yan Xiaoyu talking with his older brother in the distance, his heart leaping with joy, though he didn’t let it show on his face: “Brother Yu insisted I come over for a meal; I couldn’t say no.”

“……” Ji Wenyan snorted, not even bothering to speak to him.

Yan Shaoxuan didn’t bother to respond either.

Only after Yan Xiaoyu approached did the two of them finally speak.

Ji Wenyan, holding the food, asked curiously, “Brother Yu, what were you just talking about with Brother Yan?”

Yan Shaoxuan also stole several glances at Yan Xiaoyu.

Yan Xiaoyu: “Oh, I wanted to buy a donkey, but I didn’t know where to get one, so I was just talking to Brother Yan about it!”

Ji Wenyan didn’t know where to buy a donkey either, so he changed the subject.

Yan Shaoxuan, however, looked deep in thought, lost in his own musings.

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After dropping off Yan Xiaoyue and her younger brother at the market, the Yan brothers and Ji Wenyan were ready to head to the county seat.

Before leaving, however, Yan Shaoxuan pulled Yan Xiaoyu aside away from the others to ask about the donkey.

“You suddenly wanted to buy a donkey—was it because of what Ji Wenyan said yesterday?”

Ji Wenyan had mentioned yesterday that Yan Shaocheng’s stinky tofu stall should stay open a little longer. Yan Xiaoyu had indeed taken those words to heart, but he hadn’t thought Yan Shaoxuan would be so observant—he immediately connected the two matters.

Yan Xiaoyu was still thinking about how to respond when Yan Shaoxuan added, “My older brother’s idea to close up at noon is out of concern for his own well-being—it has nothing to do with you all.

With my older brother driving you around, you’ll be safer. Don’t go out of your way to buy a donkey just to prove a point.”

Yan Xiaoyu had been slightly touched at first, but upon hearing the rest, he grew displeased: “Who do you think you’re looking down on? I’m making plenty of money these days—why would I need to ‘prove myself’ just to buy a donkey?”

He looked at Yan Shaoxuan, silently sighing to himself that he had no way with words; whoever became his wife in the future would likely be driven to her grave by his temper.

Yan Shaoxuan’s voice was low, his eyes betraying a hint of resignation: “Just do as I say.”

Yan Xiaoyu paused in surprise. Why was he talking to him like he was coaxing a child? His voice was so gentle that it made him feel oddly embarrassed.

Though he wasn’t pleased, he knew he meant well, so in the end he obediently explained himself.

“My main reason for buying a donkey is to get back early in the afternoon so I can sleep in a bit longer in the morning. Now that my sister and I have come to town to sell food, all the farm work has fallen on my parents’ shoulders, and they’re working pretty hard. Things are manageable now, but come next spring, there’ll be even more work in the fields. If I don’t buy a donkey now, I’ll have to buy one later anyway…”

Yan Shaoxuan had previously worried that he might act on impulse, but upon hearing how thoughtfully he’d considered the matter, he no longer objected.

“There aren’t many donkeys to choose from at the town’s livestock market. If you trust us, why not wait until my older brother and I have some free time, and we’ll buy one for you from the county seat.”

Yan Xiaoyu smiled, his eyes crinkling with joy: “Big Brother Yan said the same thing. You two really are in sync.”

Having entrusted the matter of buying a donkey to the Yan brothers, Yan Xiaoyu felt completely at ease, and so the matter was settled.

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In the days that followed, Yan Xiaoyu’s food business grew steadily. Every day, his chicken soup, tofu skewers, and spicy dried tofu would sell out by mid-morning, and some customers would even line up at his stall before he opened.

Many customers urged him to make more, but Yan Xiaoyu simply didn’t have the capacity to keep up and dared not readily agree.

His tofu and silken tofu had taken a significant chunk of business away from the Qian family, and now the volume of each item sold had doubled. The dried tofu, tofu skewers, and tofu puffs were still made in their original portions—these ingredients were labor-intensive to prepare, and Yan Xiaoyu didn’t want to overwork his family, so he refused to make more.

Even so, the stone mill at home was working so hard it was practically sparking.

He had originally planned to visit the town’s restaurants and taverns whenever he had a spare moment, to see if he could sell his ingredients to them. But now the whole family was running around nonstop; they couldn’t even keep up with demand, so it seemed there was no need to look for additional outlets.

There was actually a surplus of fermented tofu, but he simply couldn’t spare the time to handle those matters.

The lines forming in front of their stall had become a spectacle at the market, and as a result, business at the nearby drink and steamed bun stalls had also improved significantly.

When some women and men were too lazy to cook, they would come to buy some spicy dried tofu and fermented tofu, along with a few large steamed buns, to make a quick meal—and their families loved it.

With business this booming, it was inevitable that some would grow envious. Yet, wary of Ji Wenyan—the man behind Yan Xiaoyu—they refrained from picking a fight with him, limiting themselves to a few snide remarks behind his back.

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Just as they were about to close up shop, Yan Yongfang came by again. This time, her attitude was much more polite, and she even brought gifts for Yan Xiaoyu and his older sister.

She tried to invite Yan Xiaoyu and her sister to the teahouse, but after being turned down by Yan Xiaoyu, she used their past history of sharing a room to strike up a conversation with Yan Xiaoyue. Only when Yan Xiaoyu grew impatient did she get to the point.

Fearing others might overhear, Yan Yongfang deliberately lowered her voice: “The Qian family wants your recipes. Name your price.”

Yan Xiaoyu was so furious she could barely contain his laughter: “Did I say I’d sell the recipes? Even if I did, would it be up to you?”

“I advise you not to take this personally,” Yan Yongfang said, her expression turning cold. “You have absolutely no standing in this town. Do you have any idea how many people here are envious of you? The magistrate’s son may intimidate some, but if you can’t handle them openly, won’t they come after you in secret? These people will resort to any underhanded trick for silver. You might be able to fend them off for a time, but not forever. Though I’ve always looked out for you, I don’t want you to die!”

Yan Yongfang spoke those final words with particular sincerity, and even Yan Xiaoyue was somewhat taken aback.

“Xiaoyu, trust me this once.” Yan Yongfang locked eyes with Yan Xiaoyu. “As long as your asking price isn’t too exorbitant, I’ll do my best to help you negotiate it. With this silver, your family will never have to worry about money again. Why risk your lives just to hold onto this stall?”

If Yan Yongfang had approached them from a position of superiority, as she had last time, Yan Xiaoyu certainly wouldn’t have given her a friendly look. But now that she’d changed her attitude and shown a bit of sincerity, Yan Xiaoyu softened his own stance.

“Since you’ve advised me, let me advise you in return.” Yan Xiaoyu was unusually serious. “The Yan family only wants to bleed you dry. Your parents have eyes only for Yan Yonghe and Yan Xiaobao; they’re only coaxing you now to squeeze silver out of you to support those two brothers. As for whether the Qian family is trustworthy, I’d say that’s highly doubtful.”

“You’re expecting, aren’t you?” Yan Xiaoyu glanced at her belly. “If I were you, I’d find an opportunity to learn the Qian family’s tofu recipe first, then save up some capital on my own. That way, if the worst comes to the worst, you and the child in your womb won’t be left without a place to turn.”

“As for these recipes of mine, don’t even think about them. ‘Rely on a mountain, and the mountain may collapse; rely on water, and the water may flow away.’ If you’ve got what it takes, you should figure out a way to come up with a few recipes of your own.”